True Love
by Priscila
Summary: This fanfic is set in what would be the 5th season. Gary saves a woman and falls in love with her. :) COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

"True Love"  
Author Priscila M.  
  
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to Tristar Pictures. No copyright infringement   
intended. No profit is being made. I just borrowed the characters for a while.  
  
Summary: This fanfic is set in what would be the 5th season. Gary saves a woman and falls in   
love with her. Nothing on EE world is as easy as it sounds. ;)  
  
Author notes: It's my first fanfic written in english (I'm brazilian) and also my first Early   
Edition one so please be kind. I'd like to thank Tina for being such a nice friend and beta   
reading this fanfic. And also my brother Sergio for the ideas for the plot and his support.   
Thanks for reading! :)  
  
*Chapter 1*  
  
"Marcia?!"   
  
Gary woke up and sat on his bed. Looked around his empty loft and said out loud "just a dream?".   
Feeling a bit disappointed he laid down in time to hear the paper arriving. He tried screaming   
"I just had a lousy night, come back later" but the cat wouldn't stop meowing. Gary stood up   
and went to the door and got the paper. He scanned the paper and there was nothing important   
that needed his attention. So he took a bath and dressed up. On the way downstairs he said to   
the cat "if you want anything go ask the people who send the paper, will ya?" and left.   
Marissa was in the office taking care of some papers when she heard Gary coming.  
  
"Good Morning, Gary. What's the problem?" she asked while placing some papers on the desk.  
  
"Morning, Marissa. I just had a lousy dream, that's all. The damn cat doesn't let me sleep   
and the paper doesn't let me have a life." he rubbed his face.  
  
"You dreamt about Marcia again? Don't you find it a bit odd?"  
  
"Should I? I mean I deal with a lot of worse things in the paper still-- oh boy!"  
  
"What did you find in the paper?"  
  
"Ah... the headline says 'unidentified Asian woman found dead in downtown Chicago' - early this  
morning an Asian woman in her early 30's was found dead. Officials believe it was a robbery as   
her purse wasn't found. The paper says she was beaten to death and it might have happened   
around midday. So I have plenty of time to find something out how to stop it."   
  
"Just be careful, Gary. Whoever did this in day light isn't going to get shy if you show up."  
  
"I have plenty of time to realize what will happen. And this time I'll try to get some help  
from the police. Don't worry, I'll be careful", Gary said while putting the paper on the back  
pocket of his jeans.  
  
All he needed to do was to go to the restaurant where the woman would be attacked, stop the guy   
and all would be solved. He got off the cab in a nice neighborhood and checked his clock, it was   
short after 9 AM for his relief. He found the restaurant Sakana no Sekai. Neat place, Asian   
people going in and out pretty often. Japanese writing all over the place made Gary not very   
comfortable. He decided to go inside hoping to find the victim or the attacker for that matter.  
  
Going inside the place didn't help. While people were talking to him in Japanese his attention  
was caught by the young woman singing on the karaoke. She was gorgeous, dressed in a red kimono  
and with long black hair. Her voice sounded so gently in his ears that he just stopped and   
stared at her. He was too distracted to notice the dirty looks the guy next to him was   
throwing at both of them. Gary was smiling and she looked at him a couple of times. She ended   
singing, Gary applauded which made half the customers on the restaurant turn to him.   
Embarrassed, he just left the place and looked at the paper. Nothing had changed. "Oh boy!"   
he placed the paper in his pocket.  
  
Meanwhile the man in the restaurant was furious. He took the young woman by the arm, all the way   
thru the dinning tables and the kitchen screaming at her which got the customer's attention once   
more. He threw her on the ground outside. Furiously screaming "aitsu ga dare? koraerou!"   
[who is he? answer me now!] while beating her on the face. All she could say was "Shiranai yo!"  
[I don't know!"] which made him get even more furious. She tried to apologize in order to make  
him calm down. After asking a couple of times more who the guy was he got a baseball bat,   
screamed "subeta!" [bitch] and started to beat her with it.   
  
Gary heard a woman screaming so he ran to find out what was going on. He saw the same woman   
from the karaoke, only she was bleeding and almost unconscious. Fortunately Gary was able to  
grab the bat which didn't make the man any happier about the situation. He punched Gary on the  
nose, then punched him some more until Gary got on his knees to the ground. Then he payed   
attention again to the woman, kicking her and screaming "anata no kareshi ne!". [your boyfriend, isn't he?]   
While the man was too distracted beating the now unconscious victim Gary was able to knock him   
down with the bat. He ran to check if the woman was okay, carried her on his arms and tried to  
leave the place as soon as possible. After a block and a half he couldn't carry her anymore so   
he stopped and sat on the ground gasping for some air. The woman was by his side, also sitting  
on the ground staring straight ahead.  
  
"Where's Tarou? And who are you?" she was almost whispering.  
  
"If Tarou is the barbarian who was beating you, I left him unconscious there. And I'm Gary   
Hobson". He was holding his hand on his nose.  
  
She recognized him as the same guy from the restaurant. "Thank you, Gary. I'm Shizuka...   
Tanemura. Tarou is my fiancé, he was angry because he got me singing on the karaoke and was  
furious when you were staring at me--"  
  
Gary couldn't believe she was saying it like it was normal "It's NOT a reason to beat someone   
up like that. So calm down, I won't let anybody lay a finger on you anymore. We'll need to get you  
into a hospital so we'd better get a cab."   
  
"I don't think it's a good idea. It'd be the first place Tarou would look for me."  
  
They arrived at McGinty's so Gary told Shizuka to wait for him in his loft. As she went   
upstairs he checked the paper. "Chicagoan sat down on antique vase - early yesterday morning a   
Chicagoan woman sat down on an antique vase that was left on the back seat of a cab. The victim  
was taken to the hospital and got 20 stitches but she's fine. The vase was worth US$250,000.   
It happened around 1 PM on Chicago's suburb." It was the only thing that needed his   
attention. Relieved there was nothing related to her in the paper hew went to his loft   
and found her on his bathroom. He sat down on the sofa, staring at the window while trying to   
figure out how he'd help her. She came out of the bathroom while he was distracted with thinking.   
So she sat down by his side on the sofa.  
  
"I hope you don't mind I used your bathroom to fresh up a bit." Shizuka was still confused  
after all what happened.  
  
"No. That's fine, feel free to make yourself comfortable. Was it the first time your fiancé   
did something like this?"   
  
She looked to the ground "I'm afraid not. Our wedding was arranged by our families. In order   
to keep the tradition I have to stand this kind of thing. I ended up getting used to the idea   
now." A brief moment of silence. "Are you married, Gary?"  
  
Gary couldn't help but getting hurt by the question "I... I'm divorced now. My wife threw my  
stuff out of the window on our anniversary and told me it was over. After four years."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--"  
  
"Really, that's fine. I have an important meeting in an hour but if you feel like you can stay   
here."   
  
"Thanks. I need to do some thinking so I'll stay here for a while."  
  
Gary nodded and left his loft. Going downstairs in a hurry still thinking about the lucky   
bastard who had such a nice person as fiancée and didn't even care about it. And asking himself   
why he had run away when she asked him if he was married. Then he saw Marissa at the bar at a   
table near the corner. He sat down there in silence and started to scan the paper. Marissa   
stopped reading as she realized Gary was next to her.  
  
"Gary, I'm glad you're alright. Did you save the woman in the paper?"  
  
"Yeah. I wasn't able to stop the guy from beating her. I just stopped him from killing her.   
She's upstairs now."  
  
"So did you find out who was beating her?"  
  
"Her fiancé was going to beat her to death, Marissa. Then she tells me she has to stand it in  
order to keep her family tradition."  
  
"It's serious but you can't make the decision for her. And if she chooses sticking to her   
family you'll have to understand." Marissa knew it would be hard for him, too.  
  
"I don't understand it at all." A brief moment of silence "Now I have to save a woman from  
sitting on an antique vase so I'll see you later."  
  
Marissa tried to suppress the laughter "Good luck, Gary!"  
  
Gary was on Archer avenue trying to find a woman who could possibly be the one in the paper.  
There were at least five people asking for cabs when he saw who he thought that would be the   
woman. As she opened the door, Gary appeared in front of her as she was going to sit.   
  
"Pervert, get out of my way!" she started to hit him with her purse.  
  
"Easy, lady! There's an antique vase you were about to sit on!", Gary managed to say while she  
was still suspecting him.  
  
She looked inside and there was the vase. She handed it to the cab driver "I knew you were a   
freak!" she entered the cab and left.   
  
Gary had managed to save the vase so to speak. He still had to save a teenage girl from   
breaking her neck while trying to get her cat off a tree and a robbery on a 7-11 store.   
After that he finally arrived at McGinty's in the night. He entered, grabbed a beer and started  
to drink it. Gary once again looked to the empty place. Feeling lonely and tired, he took   
another sip on the beer, wondering if he would ever find time to live with the damn paper.   
Then he heard a noise coming from his loft. Opening the door he found Shizuka writing on a   
piece of paper. He entered, closed the door and stopped there.  
  
Gary rubbed his hand "Are you leaving, Shizuka?"   
  
"Oh Gary... I can't let you get in trouble. I wish you didn't appear there. So Tarou would   
have beaten me, so what?"   
  
Gary's mouth got wide open. "He would have killed you, ya know?"  
  
Shizuka was cursing the fact she didn't leave before. "Now you're trying to get too much credit.  
If someone knows what would have happened, that's me. So if you excuse me."  
  
Shizuka wrote some more on the piece of paper while Gary was trying to figure out what to say.  
She gave the paper to Gary and opened the door. Still not believing what was happening, he held  
her hand gently and said "I love you". Surprised with his reaction she avoided looking at him.  
Then she said "please, just try to forget me." Then she ran downstairs. Gary threw his paper on  
the sofa and tried to stop himself from going after her. He felt like he could have done so  
many things, he could have said so many things to her but he just made a fool out of himself.  
  
She left McGinty's in the night. Feeling confused that Gary apparently really liked her and  
thinking what would happen next time she meets Tarou, she got the EL to go back home. Arriving at  
her home she entered saying "Tadaima!" [I'm home] and her sister replied "Okaeri!" [Welcome back].   
Shizuka was afraid that Tarou could be there waiting for her.   
  
"Where have you been, Shizuka? Tarou came here in the afternoon and said you were missing."  
She gave a good look on her sister "Did he beat you today again?!"   
  
"You know him, Miyuki. But I didn't run away... a stranger saved me from Tarou today. This   
stranger fellow found me on Sakana no Sekai while I was singing on the karaoke" Shizuka was  
still thinking about Gary.  
  
Miyuki just couldn't believe it happened again "So, was the guy good looking?"  
  
"Mou! Miyuki tara. [Hey! Stop it, Miyuki.] I'll take a bath now."   
  
*chapter 2*  
  
After three days without hearing for her again, there was nothing about her on tomorrow's   
paper either. Gary was trying to avoid thinking about her, still he couldn't forget the fool he  
made out of himself. He decided to try to find something to eat in the refrigerator. Someone   
knocked on the door, he thought that finally Shizuka came back to talk to him. He quickly grabbed   
his pants and opened the door. There was Marissa.  
  
"Hi Marissa." Gary just couldn't hold back the disappointment to see her.  
  
"Morning, Gary. Were you expecting someone else?" Marissa smiled.  
  
"Sort of. So what brings you up here so early? Is there some problem at McGinty's?" he helped   
Marissa to sit on the sofa.  
  
"You have been so distant the last days. I'm worried about you, Gary. Did you have problems  
with your saves?"   
  
The last thing he wanted at the moment was talk but he knew that Marissa could help. So he ran  
his hand thru his hair "When Shizuka left three days ago I told her I loved her but she just   
ran away from me. I know, it was really stupid of me but I never felt like that since Marcia,   
you know?" he sighed.  
  
"But she didn't explain why she left nor anything?"   
  
"She left something written in a paper but I couldn't bring myself to read yet."   
  
"You're not expecting me to read it, are you?" Marissa smiled to tease Gary.  
  
He gave a dirty look to Marissa, then got the piece of paper. He thought things couldn't get  
much worse so he started to read out loud "Gary, I need to go home now. I have to see how  
things are going to be with my family. Also I need some time to think about my whole life.  
I just hope someday you'll be able to forgive me." He couldn't believe it. She was saying the  
same things over and over again. What was she so afraid of? What the heck was wrong with her?  
  
"Go talk to her. You already gave her enough time to think."  
  
"I just hope I won't regret my actions once more."  
  
He watched as Marissa stood up and went to the door. "If you need me, I'll be downstairs." Gary  
nodded.  
  
He went to the restaurant but she wasn't there. He tried to ask a few people there but they   
couldn't understand English well enough to know what he wanted. Frustrated he went out and   
walked for a while on around the neighborhood. Nothing. Then Gary thought it would be better to go  
change some headlines as it wasn't helping him to find Shizuka. Looking at the paper there was  
an article about a guy who was going to jump off Cortland Street Bridge.  
  
Shizuka was leaving her house to go work when Tarou appeared. He noticed she looked upset  
about something. "Can we go inside for a moment?" she was a bit afraid about his reaction as  
he always was an impulsive guy who didn't think before doing anything.  
  
"Tarou, there's no easy way to say that but it's over. Our engagement is over. I already called  
my parents in Hokkaido and told them."   
  
He just kept looking at her not believing his ears "Is it all about that gaijin [foreigner]   
guy you're walking around with?"   
  
"Even though it's none of your business, it's not about him. I don't even know him! Now I have  
to go work."   
  
She left feeling afraid it could be the biggest mistake of her life. So now she didn't know   
what was going to happen in her future. Shizuka just walked thru the streets of Chicago looking  
around, feeling lost and confused. There was Gary, a rather strange guy who did care about her   
enough to fight with Tarou. So many questions on her mind and not enough answers.  
  
Gary walked around the Cortland Street Bridge. The paper said it happened in the morning but  
didn't have much details. So he stayed there trying to find anyone who would fit the description  
in the paper. He saw the guy preparing himself to jump and screamed "Heeeeeeey! Hey, Todd!"  
Todd pushed him away. "Stop it, will ya?"   
  
"Is there something wrong, superman?" Todd lit up a cigarette. "What?! I'm going to kill  
myself! Do you think I care if I'd have cancer in the future?"  
  
Gary was lost now. "Uh... why don't you tell me what's wrong?" He checked the paper and the  
article was still there. "Come on!"  
  
"Besides the fact you're wasting my time... I was fired today and my girlfriend dumped me when  
I told her about that."   
  
"You know what I think? I think you can get a better job and you still can get your girlfriend  
back. And don't rush your conclusions." Gary was getting worried about the guy already.  
  
Todd thought for a moment "I'll give myself some time to think."   
  
Gary saw the article was gone on the paper and just disappeared from the place. Avoiding too  
many questions was always good. So he had some free time and he called McGinty's before going  
to the last save of the day. Nothing too dangerous, just a guy who was going to be ran over   
while crossing the street while talking in a cell phone. He called McGinty's from the street phone   
and Marissa picked up the phone.   
  
"Hello, McGinty's."  
  
"It's me, Gary."   
  
"Gary! Did you find Shizuka already?"  
  
Before he could answer someone appeared behind him and he felt a point metallic thing on his  
back. The man just said "Hang up now!" Gary knew it was a gun but didn't know anything else. All   
he said was "I gotta go now" and hang up. Then he put his hands up. "Just walk until I tell   
you to stop". Still not able to see who the guy was nor knowing what the person wanted, Gary   
said "Take my wallet and whatever more you want!" but the gunman didn't reply. They stopped in  
an alley. Gary managed to turn around and to his surprise it was Tarou.  
  
"You?! What do you want?"   
  
Tarou laughed about his question. "You have to stop screwing my fiancée behind my back!"  
  
"You see, I'm not screwing anybody's--"   
  
Tarou pointed his gun at Gary's forehead. "If you don't stop talking right now, you'll die!"   
  
For Gary's luck a police car passed by so Tarou ran away. Gary just stopped there not believing  
what could have happened. After a few minutes recovering himself he got into a cab to his next  
save.   
  
Shizuka left her job and decided to talk to Gary that day too. After all she had already thrown  
away her marriage, why not talk to him too. She was on the EL looking at Chicago in the night.   
She wasn't prepared to leave that city for going back to Hokkaido, not yet at least. That was  
the only thing she was sure of. Finally she arrived at McGinty's and it was closed. A waiter   
told her the bar was already closed but when she said she was looking for Gary, he told her to  
talk to Marissa.   
  
"You must be Shizuka, is that right?"   
  
Shizuka got surprised "Did Gary talk to you about me?"   
  
Marissa smiled "A lot." After a brief pause "He was looking for you today."  
  
"So I'm glad I came here. Does Gary own his place?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm his partner."  
  
Gary entered thru the front door gasping like he had ran a marathon. He sat down at the bar to   
check the paper, not realizing Shizuka was talking to Marissa a few chairs away. For his   
relief there wasn't anything needing his care. He folded the paper and placed it inside his   
jacket. Just then he saw both Marissa and Shizuka standing near him.   
  
"Good night, ladies."  
  
"Are you alright, Gary? What happened when you were talking to me on the phone?"   
  
Gary still didn't know how he should tell it to them. "Shizuka, could you please wait for me   
upstairs?"  
  
Shizuka didn't mind at all. "Sure, I'll wait for you."   
  
Gary sighed "Marissa... I just hang up because her fiancé was pointing a gun at my back."  
  
Marissa got shocked "Oh my god! Will you wait until he kills you to stop seeing Shizuka?"  
  
"I'll go upstairs putting an end to this before it ends bad to anyone."   
  
Gary left the bar still shaking. Not every day someone pointed a gun at his head. He really   
liked Shizuka and he didn't mind going thru all this if he was going to end up with her. But   
that crazy Tarou wasn't going to get happy before killing someone. Each step of the stairs was   
hard not just because he was tired. Mostly because he was going to end something that hadn't   
started with Shizuka. Getting close to the door he heard her singing inside his loft. "Okay,   
you're a grown man Gary. It's for her sake too." He entered the loft and she was singing while   
looking inside the refrigerator. He smiled. She closed the door just then realized he was there.  
  
"I hope you don't mind..."   
  
They both sat down on the sofa. Gary sighed, then said "Earlier... I... you see, Tarou pointed a   
gun at me today when I was talking on the phone."   
  
"Just like him. He likes to scare people around him."   
  
"Are you kidding? He's crazy! He could have gotten me full of holes today if the police hadn't   
been around!"  
  
Shizuka stood up and went to the bathroom. Gary then again regretted what he had said about  
Tarou. After all the barbarian was her fiancé. He just wished he knew how to turn back the time  
and change what happened since he met Shizuka. She came out of the bathroom and sat down  
on the bed.  
  
"Tarou flew back to Japan tonight. I was supposed to be with him as we were going to marry next week."   
She couldn't hold back the tears now. "I just hope it wasn't the biggest mistake of my life!"   
  
Gary really didn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry! I didn't-- I mean--"   
  
Still fighting her tears, Shizuka smiled and said "I'm tired..." Gary sat down next to her on the   
bed and hugged her. In his arms she didn't feel lost anymore. It felt really nice and she was   
just hoping she could be there forever. Then she kissed him gently. Gary smiled at her and whispered   
in her ear "I love you" then kissed her in the neck. After a while without saying anything,   
Shizuka then said "I love you too, Gary." They laid down on the bed until both fell asleep in  
each others arms.  
  
*Chapter 3*  
  
Shizuka woke up at 5 in the morning. Gary's arms were around her. She looked at him sleeping. He was so cute there sleeping.   
It was too early to call Miyuki so she decided to watch some TV. She grabbed the remote control  
and started searching for something to watch. Infomercials, Law & Order, Baywatch which made   
her miss watching NHK at night. So she finally started to watch Buffy. It was so interesting   
that she fell asleep after a few minutes holding the remote on her hand.  
  
Thump. Meow. Gary grabbed the pillow and placed it on his head. Shizuka was making some coffee   
so she opened the door and saw the cat on the paper. She petted the cat and got the paper. She  
left it near the window and gave some milk to the cat. Gary woke up and saw her feeding the cat.  
He got in panic because of the paper and started to look around for it.  
  
"Morning Gary. This kitty is lovely. Is it yours?"   
  
He was still searching for the paper "Kinda. Uh... have you seen my paper?"  
  
Shizuka was putting some coffee in a mug "You mean the one which was with the cat at the door?  
It's there." she pointed.  
  
Gary got it and immediately started reading it. Then he noticed she didn't find anything   
unusual about the paper so he felt relieved. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yes. Do you mind if I call my sister? She might be worried about me."  
  
He was still reading the paper "Uh... no I don't mind. Go ahead."  
  
Shizuka was finishing her coffee and looked at Gary there reading the paper. He was nice to  
stare at and also nice to be around too. She thought "Things could be much worse" as Miyuki   
would say. She smiled about her thought. Gary was going to get some coffee, then she kissed him.   
Then she decided to call Miyuki before going to work. She got the answering machine.  
  
"Miyuki, watashi desu. Kare no uchi ni nemurita. Mou daijobu, ima shigoto e ikimasu. Ja nee."  
[It's me. I slept at his place. Everything is fine, now I'm going to work. Bye.]  
  
Gary's attention was on the article in the paper. "Computer programmer gets sued. Unfortunate   
accident happened when John Smith threw a mouse on a door which made his boss slip and   
break his arm. John was fired and sued by his boss." He was afraid the paper would keep him   
busy but apparently it wasn't going to screw up this time.   
  
"So I'll go to work now. I wrote my phone number and my address in your address book I found  
near the telephone. Now I have to go to work." Shizuka got her purse.  
  
"Okay. Uh... feel free to come over anytime, ok?" Gary wasn't sure himself what was going on  
between them.  
  
Shizuka waved to him from the door "I have to hurry now. I'll call you later."   
  
Gary still wasn't able to tell what was wrong with Shizuka. She spent the night there but did   
it mean they were having a relationship?! The paper was going to get between them but what was   
he going to do about it. He was still confused with all the situation. Well it was better go   
save the guy's job than wonder too much.   
  
In an office John was trying to compile a file. Over and over but the damn thing wasn't working.   
His boss passed thru his desk "I want to see that project on my desk before lunch!" He just   
couldn't stand his boss anymore. "Okay, John you can do it. Just one more time" he was already  
talking to himself. He made some changes on the file and tried to compile it again. The same message,   
"that does it!" he was prepared to throw the mouse at his boss' office door when suddenly some  
guy he never saw before ran into the office.  
  
"You don't want to do it, John!" Gary read again the article in the paper.  
  
"Who the hell are ya and how do you know my name?" John wanted to just kick the computer.  
  
"Hey, throwing the mouse at that door won't help. But if you--" now reading from the paper   
"check if there's free space on the hard disk, that might help."  
  
John just saw it was the whole problem that he tried for hours to solve, thinking it was a bug  
on the program he was doing. "Thanks man! You saved my job!"   
  
Gary checked the paper and the headline had changed. "Next time read the error message, would ya?"   
He sneaked out of the office before everyone started to ask how he knew.   
  
Four days later Gary haven't heard from Shizuka. He left a couple of messages on her answering  
machine but she didn't reply them. Things weren't going fast between them. Not at all. The   
paper kept him busy the last few days, he was free only in the night. Lonely nights. Like that  
one. He got the phone and dialed her number.  
  
A female voice answered "Hello?"   
  
"I, I'd like to speak with Shizuka please."  
  
"Hi Gary. It's me."   
  
"I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner with me sometime?" Gary didn't know if he   
would be able to handle the paper in time but it was worth a shot.  
  
"What about tomorrow night? There's a sushi bar near here called Nagareboshi. They have great   
food there." Shizuka wasn't sure if it was a good idea.  
  
"Sounds nice! What about 8 o'clock?"   
  
"Fine. Pick me up here tomorrow then." Shizuka was happy about going out.   
  
Gary spoke in a serious tone "Are you avoiding me, Shizuka?"  
  
"Of course not! Gary... I've been covering up for a teacher who got sick, that's all." Shizuka   
wasn't surprised by his question.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that. Love you."   
  
"Love you too. Bye."  
  
Shizuka hang up and didn't know what to think. She wasn't sure if she wanted a relationship   
with Gary. But she did agree to have dinner with him. Things were already complicated and   
thinking didn't help. Could she make Gary wait so she could find out? It wouldn't be fair   
to him. Miyuki heard the last part of her conversation on the phone so she started to tease   
Shizuka.  
  
"You spent a night over at his place and now you're already saying 'love you'. Way to go!"   
Miyuki was just trying to make Shizuka laugh for a change.  
  
Shizuka kept thinking silently. She felt like if she thought any harder her head would explode.   
"Do you think I made a mistake, Miyuki?"  
  
"Actually I think you would never be happy being a house wife so I think you're about to make  
a mistake." Even though she hadn't met Gary yet she knew Shizuka was happy since she met him.  
  
"Now you'll leave me with my thoughts just like Mom would do." Shizuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"Are you seriously thinking of dumping the poor guy before even dating him for a while?" Miyuki  
then thought about how she had said that but it was a bit too late.  
  
"I'd like to know where you guys are buying the crystal balls!" Shizuka laughed for a moment  
then "Is it so obvious?"  
  
Miyuki had already gone through something like this herself in the past. "Blame those parents   
of ours in Japan for this kind of mind we have. Don't worry Shizuka, you'll work this out."  
  
Shizuka got her MD player and went out for a walk. It was a nice night in Chicago, a bit cold  
but the sky was crystal clear. Walking around without paying much attention to where she was  
going she ran into a lot of people, also some couples. There was one kissing passionately in a   
corner that got her attention. She could be in Gary's arms right now. She wanted to be in his  
arms. So why wasn't she? Because she was trying to find problems where there weren't any.  
  
Gary was going thru yet another lonely night. It had been too long since he last saw her.  
He couldn't understand why she was avoiding him. In a desperate try to keep his mind busy he  
turned the TV on. Baywatch marathon, cheesy but didn't need any brain cell. After three episodes  
he was still wondering about Shizuka. When he turned the TV off, someone knocked at his door.  
It was already over midnight "do you want me to call a cab for you, Ma--" he saw Shizuka at  
his door. "Shizuka?!"  
  
"I missed you, Gary."  
  
"I couldn't stop thinking about ya! I'm really glad you came over."   
  
Gary sat on the sofa and the next thing he knows was Shizuka on top of him kissing his neck.  
"That's really nice but--" she kissed him passionately on his lips. As she unbuttoned his shirt  
she started to kiss his bare chest. He liked it but was still a bit worried. "You don't have  
to do this, you know?" She stopped and took her sweater and then her bra off. Gary pulled her  
over him and whispered "I love you". Gary walked her to the bed and she laid down. As he was   
lying on top of her he felt something cold and hard at him. He opened his eyes and there was   
the floor. He climbed back on the sofa, looking around, and nothing. "Just a dream?" he turned   
the TV off and laid on the bed.   
  
The paper didn't have much problems for Gary that day. He was a bit afraid he'd have to cancel  
dinner but apparently he didn't have to. It was 5 PM and as far as he could see there was nobody  
else who needed his help. So he got some flowers, went back to McGinty's to get dressed up. Black   
turtle neck and jeans. He looked in the paper, and read on the front page: "Boy ran over on   
Michigan Avenue - last night a young boy was run over by a car in a hit-and-run. It happened   
shortly after 7:30 PM" Gary didn't believe the paper got it on this one. With some luck he   
would get just a bit late.  
  
He got down on Michigan Avenue. The paper said it was a green Volkswagen driving in high speed.   
Gary looked around and there was a boy with his mother. She got distracted for a moment and   
the boy started to walk on his own. Then Gary heard the car so he pulled the boy off the street.   
His mother started to scream hysterically "Let my son go!". She took her son and walked away.   
Gary said "You're welcome!", looked at his watch and it was a few minutes past 8 PM.  
  
Shizuka was waiting for Gary. She was afraid he wouldn't show up. When she heard the door bell  
she thanked heaven he came. Miyuki opened the door where a tall handsome stranger was gasping.  
She let him in and said "You must be Gary. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Gary Hobson, how do you do? You must be Miyuki, is that so?", Gary said while looking around.  
  
"That's right. Shizuka will be down in a minute. I heard a lot about you lately, Gary."  
  
Gary was looking around "Good things I hope."   
  
Miyuki smiled "You're Shizuka's mysterious handsome hero."   
  
"How's that again?"   
  
"You know the way you saved her from Tarou. I would need someone as handsome as you to save me from  
the boredom of being a house wife." Miyuki noticed he was embarrassed "Say, you don't happen to  
have a brother, do you?"   
  
"I'm afraid not. But if it doesn't work out with Shizuka we can try." Gary was just teasing her.  
  
Shizuka was going downstairs just in time to hear "So you already have a list of women you'll  
go out with if it doesn't work out between us, Gary?"   
  
She was wearing a pink sweater and jeans. Gary gave her the flowers. He couldn't believe how   
pretty she was looking in casual clothes. Not that she didn't look nice in formal clothes like  
he saw her before, it's just that she looked so "the girl next door" like that.  
  
"You're really pretty tonight, Shizuka."   
  
"Thank you for the flowers Gary. I love them."   
  
They left and were walking down the streets at night, not many people were around. It was a rather   
calm neighborhood. Gary couldn't help noticing Shizuka seemed disturbed by something.   
  
"Is there anything wrong?"   
  
"Isn't life odd? I came to the USA because I got a job as an English teacher for Japanese business men"   
Shizuka then smiled. "And I ended up falling in love here."  
  
"I prefer to think if life was predictable it would be boring."   
  
"Do you regret your marriage?" Shizuka was really curious about it.  
  
Gary again got hurt about it "I regret I wasn't able to save it. But nowdays I'd say I'm over   
it already."   
  
They arrived at the bar. Gary felt a bit out of place there. Loud Japanese music and there was  
lots of food he couldn't even pronounce. He sat down while she was ordering something for them.   
He just saw some square cups and chopsticks on the table. "Oh boy!" He got a pair of chopsticks   
and started trying to use them. Shizuka just ordered the food and came back to the table. It was   
a cute sight to see him struggling with the chopsticks. She took his hand and explained how to use  
them.  
  
"It was really cute to see you trying."   
  
Gary got embarrassed "It's just... uh... what are those square cups for?"  
  
"Oh. Those are for sake. I know how you feel, I was a rice fed Japanese girl when I came to the  
US." Shizuka then laughed.  
  
"I don't feel out of place here. It's nice, the feeling around here." Gary was really enjoying  
the feeling of the place.   
  
The waiter brought the food. Some noodles with meat and vegetables but also the nightmare of   
Non-Japanese people, Sushi. Gary wasn't sure where to start and even if it was eatable.   
  
"I ordered some noodles and Sushi. You're aware Sushi is raw fish with rice, right?"   
  
Raw fish. The thought of that made Gary's stomach angry. "I guess I'll stick to the noodles."   
  
After their meal they stayed around the bar for a while. Shizuka sang a bit on the karaoke.   
She was having a great night. Even though she didn't believe Gary would enjoy that place she   
was seeing things differently. He wasn't trying to fit in, he was just enjoying being with her  
there. She was tired herself of trying to fit. It was already two in the morning so the bar was  
closing. They were the last customers leaving. He held her hand and so they walked on the empty   
streets in the night. There weren't many people around. The moon was full in the sky.   
  
Shizuka was happy "I had a great time there! I wish we could have stayed there longer though."  
  
"So do I. It was a very nice night." Gary looked at her. "So now can I call you my girlfriend?"  
  
She thought for a moment "First your parents have to meet mine. Then my dad will decide either  
if you're good enough to be my husband..."   
  
He looked away "It's fine as long as you tell me what's the problem."  
  
They arrived at her home but she hadn't answered him yet. Shizuka just hoped she had made  
up her mind already. It was hard to put feelings into words but she had to.  
  
She placed her hand on his cheek "Gary, I love you. I just need a bit more time for my family's  
sake."  
  
He hugged her "I love you too. Let's try to keep in touch ok?"   
  
They kissed. The rest of the walk was in automatic pilot, Gary wasn't in the mood for getting a  
cab let alone the EL. He was wondering about the night and his life for that matter, mostly  
how he was going to end up with her, when he saw the McGinty's sign at the end of the block.  
"I'm home finally" he thought.   
  
Some days later, Miyuki got a letter from her parents who asked her to go back to Hokkaido.  
But her mother said in all words that they didn't want Shizuka back there. She wasn't welcome  
anymore. Miyuki couldn't help getting really mad at her parents. She didn't want to leave the   
US so fast and she wasn't going to leave Shizuka behind, not at all. Miyuki called Shizuka at  
her job.  
  
"What's wrong, Miyuki? Don't tell me something bad happened!"  
  
Miyuki tried her best to keep calm "I got a letter from our parents asking me to go back."  
  
"Hiroshi doesn't want to leave his job and you two had a fight?" Shizuka knew Miyuki's husband  
would get mad at the idea.  
  
"You're not welcome anymore."   
  
Shizuka dropped down on her knees. It felt like the end of the world. The tears just ran down   
her cheeks. People were staring at her but she couldn't care less at the moment. She couldn't  
even speak.  
  
"I'll pick you up at the school and we'll figure out something, ok?" Miyuki knew how much  
it would hurt.  
  
After some silence from Shizuka "Those parents of ours know how to spoil our lives, don't they?"  
  
*To be continued* 


	2. Installment 2

"True Love": Installment 2   
  
Author Priscila M.  
  
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to Tristar Pictures. No copyright infringement   
  
intended. No profit is being made. I just borrowed the characters for a while.  
  
  
  
Summary: This fanfic is set in what would be the 5th season. Gary saves a woman and falls in   
  
love with her. Nothing on EE world is as easy as it sounds. ;)  
  
  
  
Author notes: It took me a while to finish this fanfic but I'm happy I did finish. :) I hope  
  
you'll all enjoy reading it as much as I did enjoy writing it. Again I'd like to thank Tina   
  
for being such a nice friend and beta reading this fanfic. And also my brother Sergio for the   
  
ideas for the plot and his support.   
  
Thanks for reading! :)  
  
-------------------  
  
Meow. Thump. The sound of the paper arrival still bothered Gary like it was the first time.   
  
He had spent a quality time with the police last night, trying to explain why he knew more   
  
than he should. All Gary wanted was to sleep a bit more. "Go bother someone else!" he said,   
  
but the cat didn't mind and kept meowing. Giving up, he got the paper. Bending down to get   
  
it he said "I have a date tonight so you'd better not spoil it, pal!"   
  
Miyuki promised Shizuka she wasn't going away before they figured out what to do. Shizuka was  
  
happy, her job was going well as a teacher and she had a date with Gary. She was looking   
  
forward to spending more time with him. She was planning to end up her work as fast as   
  
possible andthen meet Gary. She was on her class when someone appeared on the door. Going to   
  
check for Shizuka's surprise there was Tarou.  
  
"Eigo no kurasu wa doko ni imasu ka?" (Where's the English class?) Tarou were acting like   
  
nothing had happened.  
  
"Asoko desu yo!" (It's there!) she pointed to the door across the hall. "Eigo o benkyo shite   
  
iru no?" (Are you studying English?)  
  
Tarou nodded and walked away to the class. Shizuka was sure he had gone back to Japan like he   
  
had said. She stopped staring at the hall while millions of questions were on her mind until   
  
one student got her attention back to the class. There were only 5 minutes left on her first   
  
class, so she dismissed the class.   
  
Gary was reading the paper again "Executive murdered in robbery - the victim had his car   
  
robbedshortly after leaving the office building. Police believes it was a revenge as Robert   
  
Neal worked as criminal lawyer." So he was trying to figure out what to do. He had already   
  
tried to talk to the guy but he didn't have an appointment. Gary saw the possible victim   
  
going out of the building so he got close to the person.  
  
"Excuse me, could you please tell me where Michigan avenue is?" Hoping he would get time  
  
to scare the robber away.  
  
Robert thought for a moment "You're far away from there, pal. It's all the way to there."   
  
Gary nodded "It's my first time here in Chicago so, uh, maybe--"   
  
"Enjoy your stay. I'm in a hurry." Robert was going to step outside when the receptionist   
  
asked him to go back inside.   
  
In the paper the article had changed. It was too easy Gary thought. Fortunately someone   
  
needed his attention. Best of all he didn't need to call the police. The rest of the errands   
  
weren't that hard either. Gary had time to go back to the bar in time to get ready to wait for  
  
Shizuka.   
  
They were having dinner on McGinty's, just the two of them were there. Gary asked the  
  
cook to make some gnocchi. Some old song was playing on the jukebox and for a change Gary   
  
was just enjoying the dinner. Somehow the paper wasn't against his date, at least he  
  
hoped.  
  
"What's the name of this pasta again, Gary?" She was eating it with chopsticks.  
  
"Gnocchi. It's my dad's favorite food too." he smiled.  
  
"I see... I think I'm the first person in the world eating gnocchi with chopsticks."   
  
Shizuka laughed at her own comment.  
  
Gary nodded "Shizuka, have your heard from your parents lately?"  
  
She placed her chopsticks on the table "Yes, I had. But I'd rather..." she sighed heavily   
  
"They asked Miyuki to go back and mentioned I'm not welcome."   
  
"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" He held her hand.   
  
Shizuka was obviously upset about the fact "Being my boyfriend already helps."  
  
Gary smiled at her "I'm really glad to hear that. But let me know if I can do anything else."  
  
After a few days, Shizuka was still bugged by the fact Tarou was studying on the class across  
  
the hall. She couldn't help concentrate on the classes anymore. Miyuki didn't know anything  
  
either. Her parents didn't mention anything about him on their letters. He had gone to the US   
  
just to take her back to Japan so they could get married.   
  
Even though the paper was keeping Gary busy, he was able to skip the police attention at least.   
  
Just another save for the day, a woman was going to be raped in a park. So it was going to be   
  
tricky but possible to avoid. Gary kept looking around searching for a blond woman in her   
  
20's to walk around. Gary saw the possible victim walking but nobody suspect were around. He   
  
got close to her.  
  
"Excuse me, I'm with the Chicago department of parks and I couldn't help noticing you stepped   
  
on the flowers."   
  
The woman got scared "Are you a thief or just a fool?"  
  
"Maybe a fool trying to help you. You see, there's a strange guy following you." Gary was   
  
looking around to find who was going to rape her.  
  
"Sure thing. Is it your sick idea of pick up line?" She grabbed her cellphone in her purse   
  
"I'm calling the cops!"   
  
Things weren't going the way Gary wanted "You know what, forget it!"   
  
He walked away from her and looked at the paper. The article was gone. Looking back, Gary saw  
  
the woman walk away. Looking again at the paper, Gary said "Are you broken!?". He walked away   
  
from the park just wishing to get home as soon as possible.   
  
He entered McGinty's just wanting to get some rest. The customers noise plus the song playing   
  
out of the juke box were enough to twist Gary's thoughts. He made his way to his loft in a   
  
hurry. As he entered the loft, he was ready to take his jacket off when the phone rang. He   
  
grabbed the phone quickly.   
  
"Hi Gary, it's me."  
  
"Hey, Shizuka. I'm sorry I didn't call. I had to run some errands." Gary sat on the  
  
sofa.   
  
Shizuka didn't mind that "It's just I wanted to thank you for last night. I had a really good  
  
time."  
  
"That's nice. I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie sometime?"  
  
"Absolutely. Is friday night alright for you, Gary?"   
  
"Sure. Let's meet here at McGinty's. I'm looking forward to spending sometime with you."   
  
Gary was glad they were going to meet again soon.   
  
"So am I. Love you."  
  
"Love you, Shizuka. Take care."  
  
After a long day of errands, Gary got back to the bar. He spoke to Marissa for a while, mostly  
  
about the bar, then he went upstairs to change. The cat was meowing on top of the paper. Gary   
  
was just too distracted by getting dressed up so that the cat wasn't bothering him. "Get off   
  
the furniture, will ya?" Gary was putting the cat on the floor when he saw he headline.   
  
"Chemical laboratory burns down, one victim in critical condition"   
  
Shizuka was going out when Miyuki saw her making her way to the door. "Hot date with Gary   
  
tonight eh?" Miyuki was impressed to see a smile on Shizuka's face for a change.   
  
"I'm going to the movies with him". Getting her purse, Shizuka stopped to stare in the mirror   
  
to make the final changes on her hair. Put her earrings on and some lipstick.   
  
"I'm going now, jaa ne!". Shizuka waved to Miyuki as she left. The night was wonderful, the   
  
moon was full on the sky. She walked to the EL station as she was enjoying the view even though  
  
the wind was a bit too cold.   
  
On a cab going to the University of Chicago, Gary read again the paper. "A group of senior   
  
students of chemistry changed the label of an alcohol bottle to water just to bother a new  
  
student. The laboratory burnt down and the chemistry teacher is in critical condition in the   
  
hospital. Police said it happened around 9 PM". At the University he tried to get inside the   
  
laboratory but the security guards didn't let him in.  
  
"I'm tellin' ya! There's going to be problems in the laboratory!" Gary was trying to make a   
  
point but the guards weren't listening.   
  
"Sure thing, Mr. knows better than the rest of us. So what's going to happen?"   
  
"Okay, I'll tell ya." Gary started to read the paper "Two senior students changed the label   
  
of an alcohol bottle just to make a joke on the new student. So the newbie used what he   
  
thought that was water for his experiment which made the laboratory burn down. Uh..."   
  
The guard lost his patience "If you don't leave now, I'll kick you out!"   
  
Gary was going to argue some more when he saw people running and screaming. He passed thru the  
  
guards and got into the laboratory. The teacher was on the ground but still alive. Gary  
  
helped the teacher to go out of the room without many problems. Gary had to call the ambulance  
  
himself as most students just disappeared to avoid trouble with the police. When they arrived   
  
Gary was able to get out of there. Checking his clock it was over 10 PM already. He ran some   
  
blocks until he was able to get a cab.  
  
He got to McGinty's a bit too late. Shizuka wasn't there anymore. He searched around the place  
  
but she hasn't left any notes for him. Feeling frustrated he wasn't sure what he should do.   
  
Fast he picked up the phone in the bar and dialed Shizuka's number. After a couple of tries   
  
someone answered it.  
  
"Hello, it's Shizuka speaking."   
  
Gary scratched the back of his neck "It's me. I'm really sorry about today."   
  
"Really, that's fine. I enjoyed staying there for a while, I needed to go out." Shizuka was a   
  
bit disappointed but not mad at him.  
  
"What about tomorrow night? Here at McGinty's?" He knew the paper would screw up but he had   
  
to try.  
  
Shizuka thought for a moment "Tomorrow I have to pick up my brother-in-law at the airport  
  
with Miyuki. I don't think I could make it, Gary."   
  
"No problem. Sorry again about today." Gary was hoping it would help him.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I gotta go now, Gary. I love you."   
  
"Love you too, night."Shizuka was happy it was finally Friday.   
  
She was able to avoid Tarou most of the days, even though it was getting on her nerve having  
  
to hide from him all day long. She was trying to focus on the future. Hiroshi was coming back  
  
and she was hoping he would need to stay longer in the US because of his job. Lessons were   
  
almost the same, a different group of people each day of the week but basically the same   
  
lesson to everybody. It was nice though, she really liked to teach. At least she enjoyed her   
  
job. She was leaving in order to go to the airport when Tarou appeared out of nowhere on the   
  
hall way and wanted to talk to her.  
  
"So how are things with you, sensei?" (sensei is the formal way to say 'teacher')  
  
Shizuka tossed her hands up in the air "Aren't you afraid people are going to realize you   
  
already speak English, Tarou?"   
  
"Iie, betsu ni" (not at all) now forcing a strong accent "I speak not english, sorry" Tarou   
  
was enjoying the fact Shizuka was getting bored.  
  
"I really thought you were going back to Japan" She looked into his eyes "We're thru. Leave me  
  
alone!" She walked away.  
  
Gary had saved a woman from slipping from the EL stairs and breaking a leg. He was glad it  
  
was rather easy. He was already walking back to McGinty's when he checked the paper. On the   
  
first page "Explosion at O'Hare Airport - Yesterday afternoon at O'Hare Airport a bomb was   
  
left in the luggage. 2 people died and dozens got wounded." Fortunately he was able to grab a  
  
cab whichwas passing by.  
  
Both Miyuki and Shizuka met at the airport. They were excited to finally see Hiroshi again.  
  
He had been to New York for 4 months, working. Miyuki brought her camera and started taking  
  
pictures from the airport. Shizuka was walking around because waiting on airports always made   
  
her imagination start to wonder about accidents. She stopped on the newsstand.   
  
Still trying to find something more in the paper, Gary arrived at O'Hare. It was crowed and   
  
lots of luggage were around him. "Oh boy!" he started to look around trying to find out where  
  
the bomb could be. He looked in the paper and in the picture he saw a phone booth in the   
  
background. After walking around for a while he found what he believed was the place were the   
  
bomb would explode. An employee from the airport left a car full of luggage while he stopped   
  
to talk to someone. It was when Gary saw a woman looking for something in the luggage, he said   
  
to the crowd "Everybody down!" most people did it but the woman kept searching. Gary pulled   
  
her just in time before the bomb exploded.   
  
*Chapter 4*  
  
Shizuka was leaving the newsstand when she heard someone saying "Everybody down". As she  
  
turned she saw Gary pulling a woman away from the luggage then something exploded. After a   
  
few seconds she looked to see if anybody was hurt. She didn't see Gary so she got closer   
  
to were it all happened. Gary was with the woman in his arms. Her head was laying on his chest  
  
while he was holding her. All she could do was stop and stare at them. Wondering about the   
  
unusual situation and the sight of another woman in his arms wasn't pleasant.  
  
Gary pulled the woman away and heard the explosion. He just held her in this arms. They were   
  
far away enough from the explosion to not get hurt. He opened his eyes to see who the woman in  
  
his arms was... Marcia. She was really disturbed by the whole situation.   
  
"Oh my god, Gary! Are you alright?!"   
  
Gary was confused by the fact she was around and to see her so worried. "Yeah, I'm fine."   
  
he managed to say.  
  
Marcia then placed her forehead on his chest "I could have..." he just held her, realizing she  
  
was disturbed by the near death experience.  
  
"It's alright now. Don't worry." He waited until some paramedics arrived to take care of the   
  
wounded people and walked away.   
  
Miyuki ran to find out if Shizuka was okay. She found her sister staring at the crowd. After   
  
trying to get information from the security people and getting any straight answers, she was   
  
already in panic. After trying to get Shizuka's attention by calling her name Miyuki grabbed   
  
her by the shoulders and tried again.   
  
"Shizuka!!! Talk to me!!! Are you alright?!?!?" Miyuki was scared to death.  
  
"I guess so. But look!" She pointed to Gary who was standing next to Marcia. "Gary was holding  
  
that woman after the explosion."  
  
Things were out of control that day. Gary was so tired he wasn't thinking anymore. All he   
  
wanted was to arrive at his loft and have some peaceful time alone. He passed thru the customers  
  
in the bar in a hurry. He made it to the stairs without problems. He was going up when he saw  
  
Shizuka sitting on the last step of the stair case. Worried about her he asked   
  
"Are you alright? Let's go inside, shall we?"   
  
She nodded and entered his loft. Before he could do or say anything she asked "So who was the   
  
woman I saw in your arms today at the airport?"   
  
Gary got surprised "So you were there?! It was a crazy day."   
  
"I was waiting for Miyuki's husband to arrive from New York, I told you that! I'm hoping   
  
you'll be honest with me, Gary." She was hoping his answer would solve the whole problem.  
  
"That was my ex-wife." Gary made his way to the couch. "The same person who threw my stuff out  
  
of the window on our anniversary."   
  
So the mystery was solved about the woman "How did you know about the explosion? I saw you   
  
telling everybody to get down and pulling her away before the bomb exploded!"  
  
Even though Gary heard that a million of times it was the hardest. He ran his hand thru his  
  
hair and thought for a moment. He was going to take the paper off his jacket when she said   
  
"If you can't be honest with me-- you have my number, if you change your mind."   
  
"Wait, Shizuka! Come on... give me a change to explain!"   
  
Shizuka left the loft in a hurry and Gary followed her to the bar. He asked her to stop but   
  
she wouldn't, she just stopped when she saw Marcia entering the bar. Gary froze when he saw   
  
Marcia. The two women looked at each other for a moment. Not sure what he should do, Gary just  
  
kept staring at both of them.   
  
Shizuka turned to Gary "I think you two have to talk so I'm leaving."   
  
Hoping it would help, he said "I'll call you later!" As a waitress asked Marcia, she ordered a  
  
drink. Gary was trying to figure out what he should do next so he sat on a chair near her.   
  
Serving the drink, the waitress noticed her boss wasn't in his best moments.   
  
"Are you alright, Mr. Hobson?" the waitress asked as a customer on the table called her.  
  
"I guess so." Gary replied in a distant way.   
  
"So who was that? Some girlfriend?" Marcia smiled.  
  
Gary ran his hand thru his hair "That's right. So what's your visit all about?"   
  
"I didn't have a chance to say how grateful I am to you for saving my life. But how did you  
  
know?" She sighed as she got a sip of her drink.  
  
"Right place, right time kind of thing." It was an automatic answer for Gary already.   
  
"That near death experience got me thinking about life, Gary. At that moment I thought I was  
  
going to die for my job and I didn't even had a family yet." She said it in a serious way.  
  
Marcia walked to the jukebox. She picked a salsa song and started to dance. Gary couldn't stop  
  
looking at her, not noticing that the customers were staring at her, too. Looked like she was  
  
having a good time there. She waved Gary to join her but he refused, shaking his head. Marcia  
  
didn't give up, she came next to him and grabbed his arm as he stood up. She started to dance   
  
so he tried his best to follow her. Memories of the times they used to dance together popped   
  
on his mind. He was going to take her out to dinner and dancing on their 4th anniversary. He   
  
was too distracted with his thoughts to pay attention to anything else. Marcia was smiling a   
  
lot, she always smiled when she was dancing with him.  
  
"Well done, Gary. It was the first time you didn't twist your knee."   
  
Gary laughed embarrassed by her comment "So, were you leaving Chicago?"  
  
"Actually I came from Boston." After a brief moment she asked "Would you like to grab a bite   
  
later?" Marcia got her drink off the bar and sipped it.   
  
Thinking for a while Gary replied "I'm busy lately, you see? Taking care of the bar and   
  
everything."   
  
All Gary wanted that night was to lay down for a while. All muscles of his body were aching,   
  
even some he didn't know that could ache. After climbing up the stairs to his loft, he collapsed   
  
on the sofa. He was just starting to sleep when the phone rang. Jumping as its ring scared him,  
  
Gary picked up. Said hello twice but nobody answered. He was about to hang up when he heard a   
  
distorted male voice "I'm going to kill you, Gary Hobson." and the person hang up. Gary sat   
  
on the sofa wondering *who* would like to do such thing.   
  
The next days flew by to Shizuka. She didn't tell Miyuki what happened and she didn't talk to   
  
Gary either. Still she was trying to get as much time as possible without making any major   
  
decisions while she was feeling down. But things aren't always as she would hope. Miyuki was   
  
waiting for Shizuka to go back home so they could talk. Shizuka arrived home, entering the  
  
living room in a hurry. She stopped as she saw concern on her sister's face.  
  
"Okay, Miyuki. You can drop the bomb! Things can't get any worse than that."   
  
"Nope! First tell me what happened between you and Gary."   
  
Shizuka didn't know where to start "That person Gary saved on the airport was his ex-wife. And  
  
I asked him how he did know but he didn't tell me!"  
  
Miyuki thought for a moment "He said like 'none of your business' or what?"   
  
"He just didn't answer. Then I left." Shizuka placed her hand on her forehead "I got upset   
  
because he couldn't tell me why!"  
  
Taking a deep breath Miyuki said "Hiroshi wants to go back to Japan in 1 month. I have   
  
some money if you need help with the rent. And--"   
  
"Don't bother. I'm seriously thinking about going back." Shizuka replied in a serious tone.  
  
Gary had already saved a woman from being robbed then he was going to police station. He was   
  
still getting threats thru the phone. A cab just stopped a few feet away from were he was.  
  
Someone was leaving the cab so Gary ran to don't loose the cab. He was distracted reading the  
  
paper so he said "Hurry up, will ya?". An old lady got off the cab, gave some dirty looks to   
  
him.   
  
On the police station, Gary had so many bad memories of that place. But it was worth a shot   
  
trying to get some help. Gary asked some policemen around if Armstrong was around but he was   
  
told Armstrong was in a meeting. So Gary sat down, read the paper just to be sure he had time   
  
and waited. Trying his best to keep his mind busy as unpleasant memories weren't what he needed.   
  
"Hobson!? What brings you here this time?" Brigatti was just passing by him.  
  
Gary got up when he saw her "Brigatti... I... I'm waiting to talk to Armstrong, that's all."   
  
"Let's go to my office. Paul won't have free time today."   
  
Gary was following Brigatti to her office. So the good samaritan got in trouble again, it was  
  
time to him to find a better hobby already. She was trying to figure out what was wrong with  
  
him. Gary was way too worried for someone who saved so many people on the airport. She closed   
  
the door and sat down on her chair.  
  
"So what's wrong, Hobson?" She crossed her arms and rested them on the desk "What's the   
  
problem now?"   
  
Gary scratched the back of his head "I've been getting threats thru the phone for a couple of   
  
days already."   
  
"Okay. I'd say to you watch your back. Some people think it's funny to scare the hell out of   
  
others, few are actually after revenge." Brigatti looked at Gary's worried face "Do you have   
  
any idea who would do such a thing?"  
  
"I wish I had." Gary saw in the paper that he had to do another save. "Brigatti, I gotta go   
  
now."  
  
"Just watch your back, Hobson! And try not to be a hero once in a while, ok?", she said while  
  
Gary was leaving her office.  
  
Actually there wasn't any article. Gary just didn't want to spend more time with the police.  
  
They wouldn't help much. He was going to try to figure out who was threatening him over the   
  
phone alone. He stopped at a flower shop and bought some flowers for Shizuka. Then he walked   
  
back to the bar, concerned about the whole situation.   
  
Marissa was waiting for him after McGinty's was closed. She knew sometimes he arrives pretty   
  
late but she couldn't stop worrying. She heard the door open, hoping it was Gary. He entered   
  
slowly, trying to open the zipper of his jacket.   
  
"Hello Marissa." He said as he placed the flowers on the bar.   
  
"Gary! I'm so glad you're here. Detective Armstrong was here earlier looking for you. What's   
  
wrong?" She sounded so concerned, just like a mother whose son had done something naughty.  
  
Still all he wanted was to be left alone for a while "Uh... I didn't want you to worry about   
  
it. I've been threatened thru the phone lately."   
  
"Oh my god! Are you taking care, Gary?" Marissa just got even more concerned.  
  
"I went to the police today. I spoke to Brigatti but they can't do anything about it" Gary   
  
sighed. "Watch your back was everything she said."  
  
"Just promise me you'll be careful." After a brief pause "What about Shizuka? Did you go out   
  
with her again?"   
  
Gary got frustrated "I blew two dates in a row. Ever since I wasn't able to talk to her."   
  
"Go talk to her, Gary. Don't expect her to go after you." Marissa got her purse and was about  
  
to leave. "Good night. See you tomorrow." She left Gary to think about what she said, hoping   
  
it could help him.   
  
*Chapter 5*  
  
It was 2 AM in the morning. The wind was so cold that Gary felt like it was cutting him. He   
  
was tired of a day full of errands and freezing. Having some problems to actually read the   
  
paper because he was shaking too much the headline said "Chicagoan leaps to his death". It   
  
would happen on the State Street Bridge. Just thinking about a hot shower already made Gary  
  
happier but still he had yet another person to save. He heard someone walking on the other   
  
side of the bridge, so Gary tried to hide. The guy was smoking and saying things but Gary was   
  
too far to hear it. When apparently the guy was going to jump, Gary got close to the guy "You  
  
don't want to do this!". Exactly at the same moment, both Gary and the jumper pointed their   
  
fingers to each other and both said "it's ya!"   
  
Todd started to laugh "I can't believe mister good samaritan came here *again*!"   
  
"So what happened to your 'I'll think about things' attitude?" Gary was trying to warm himself  
  
up by walking around.  
  
"Ya know, I had gotten another job at Wal Mart as bag boy. I got fired after two days!"   
  
Todd stop for a moment then he asked "How the hell did you know *both* times?!"   
  
So tired and frozen Gary just said the first thing that came to his mind "I'm an angel. God   
  
sentme because it's not your time."   
  
Todd's mouth opened and so did his eyes "Like on that show 'Touched by an Angel'?!?! So God   
  
does exist... wow! How does He look like?"   
  
"I can't tell you more. I shouldn't have told you I'm an angel. If I tell you more I'll have  
  
problems." Gary didn't even know why he said that let alone why Todd believed it.  
  
"Okay. I'll try more. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Todd said while shaking   
  
Gary's hands.   
  
"I'm glad. But remember I'll know if you try again."   
  
Facing McGinty's door, Gary looked at his watch. Almost 4 in the morning. He could get two   
  
hours of sleep before the paper arrival. But first he had to climb up to his loft. All he could  
  
do was sit on the bed and take his shoes off, lay down and sleep like a rock. The phone rang a  
  
few minutes after Gary fell asleep, he stood up and made his way to the phone. Picking it up   
  
he heard a man saying "I'm going to kill you... it's all your fault. Because of what you did!"  
  
Shizuka had decided to go back to Japan to try to start a new life there. She was trying to   
  
enjoy her last two weeks in Chicago and hoping to spend some time with Gary before going back.  
  
As Hiroshi had some business to take care of, Shizuka and Miyuki were going out together.  
  
Before going out Shizuka called McGinty's but Gary wasn't around.   
  
Back at the police station, Gary finally was able to talk to Armstrong in this office. After  
  
more than a month of threats he couldn't wait to get rid of whoever was doing it. Still it was  
  
hard to be sure. Armstrong hadn't thought he would see Gary really worrying and needing help   
  
again.   
  
"So Hobson, have you been able to find out why or who the person is that is threatening you?"  
  
Armstrong wrote on a piece of paper as he spoke.  
  
Gary rubbed his hands "I think I do. Last time the guy said 'I'm going to kill you because of  
  
what you did' so I think it might be the ex-fianc‚ of my girlfriend"  
  
Armstrong kept writing on that paper "Are you sure? We can't go out there arresting people   
  
around, you know?" Now in a serious tone and looking at Gary "There's nothing we can do yet.   
  
You *think* he's the one--"   
  
"Sure! If you find me floating on a lake then you'll be able to do something, right?" Gary   
  
stood up and walked to the door. He turned to Armstrong "I'm sorry... it's just I'm not used   
  
to have people threatening me!"   
  
Shizuka got home after spending most of the day in a karaoke bar. Feeling better, she opened   
  
the door, smiling as she thought about the date she had with Gary that night, too. As she   
  
entered it was too quiet. She could only hear Hiroshi was in the living room working on his   
  
laptop. Taking her shoes off she asked   
  
"Where's Miyuki?"   
  
"I thought you knew where she was!" without even taking his eyes off the laptop Hiroshi   
  
replied.  
  
"Another deadline, Hiroshi?" Shizuka rolled her eyes.   
  
He didn't even bother to stop typing "Of course. I need to finish this until tomorrow morning."  
  
She sat on the sofa staring at her parents' picture on the table. "Hiroshi... did I make a   
  
mistake about Tarou?"   
  
Finally he stopped and looked at her "I believe omiai kekkon (arranged marriage) can work as   
  
mine worked but I also believe in fate. You two weren't meant to be together, period."  
  
Shizuka looked at him "How do you know who the right person is?"   
  
Still more one errand to take care of, Gary was running to downtown Chicago. The article in the  
  
paper was about a freak accident of a man who tried to fix his satellite dish on the roof of  
  
his home and fell down to his death. Without much time left, he was searching for the right   
  
home. On the street all houses looked alike. He finally saw a middle aged man climbing up a   
  
ladder. "Mr. Brown! Wait!!!" He got close to the ladder "Please, Mr. Brown wait a minute."   
  
Jim got off the ladder without recognizing the young man who was in his yard. "Who are you?   
  
How do you know my name?" Jim looked to Gary from up to down.  
  
"I'm from the satellite dish corporation and I'm here to help you. You see, the problem isn't  
  
on your roof, sir." Gary was checking the details in the paper.  
  
"And you know this because...? Don't waste my time, I wanna see the Bears game!" Jim was going   
  
back to the ladder.  
  
"If you go inside Mr. Brown, and check the cable behind your TV you'll see that's the real   
  
problem. Trust me!"  
  
While Jim went inside the house, Gary opened the paper and the article was gone. He folded the  
  
paper and walked away. There wasn't anything else in the paper. The afternoon was beautiful,  
  
the sun was almost not visible on the horizon. He was going to Shizuka's home. Glad he was   
  
going to arrive in time for his date this time. Arriving there, Gary placed the paper in his   
  
back pocket and knocked on the door. A man opened the door.   
  
"May I help you?" he asked with a strong japanese accent.  
  
"I'm Gary Hobson. Nice to meet you." They shook hands "I'm here to meet Shizuka."  
  
Hiroshi got surprised and laughed "Oh! Shizuka's boyfriend. By the way, I'm Hiroshi Miwa."   
  
They entered the house and both sat down on the living room. Hiroshi just saved something he   
  
had done on his laptop and turned it off "Shizuka will be down in a minute. So you're the   
  
mysterious guy who saved her."  
  
Gary was getting embarrassed "It was just a right place, right time kind of thing. So you're   
  
Miyuki's husband?"   
  
Hiroshi nodded "Yeah. We're a living proof that omiai kekkon can work."   
  
Trying hard to pronounce it correctly Gary said "What is an omiai kekkon?"   
  
Grabbing a book out of his pocket, Hiroshi searched for a few seconds "I meant arranged   
  
marriage."  
  
Gary nodded, then he saw Shizuka coming downstairs. She found both of them talking. She was   
  
surprised to see Gary a bit earlier than they had marked. "It's nice to see you again, Gary."   
  
He stood up "You're looking really beautiful tonight, Shizuka."  
  
So they were going for a nice dinner in a restaurant. Enjoyable live music, lots of couples   
  
eating around enjoying themselves. Gary then walked her to their table. Shizuka was following   
  
the beats on the music shaking her head and not paying much attention to anything else around.   
  
Gary ordered the food. Sipping the wine, Shizuka looked at him.  
  
"I got carried away by music, I didn't mean to ignore the waiter." Shizuka blushed.  
  
Gary smiled "That's okay. I don't think he did mind though." Suddenly changing the subject,  
  
she asked "Do you believe in fate, Gary?"   
  
Surprised by the question he thought for a moment "Things in my life made me not believe in it,  
  
you see?"  
  
Shizuka nodded "Hiroshi told me he thinks he and Miyuki were meant to be together. Only then   
  
I realized I don't have an opinion about fate."   
  
They left the restaurant, walking in the moonlight on a nice evening. Gary was holding her   
  
hand while they walked. Going thru some stores on the streets and looking around, they were   
  
both having a good time. They entered Shizuka's house. Miyuki was sleeping on the sofa while   
  
the TV was on the NHK news. So both went upstairs to Shizuka's bedroom. She opened the door,   
  
a small room. Just a bed, a laptop on a table, a stereo next to it and lots of CDs. Some   
  
pictures on the table. Gary sat down on the bed and Shizuka sat down on a chair.  
  
"Welcome to my world, Gary." She placed a CD in the stereo next to her bed "I can isolate   
  
myself from everything else when I listen to music here."   
  
Gary looked around "I like the room. It looks so... japanese." he smiled.  
  
Shizuka sat next to him on the bed. She was staring at the wall, trying to figure out what to  
  
do. As she looked at Gary, ready to say something, he kissed her. She looked in his eyes "I  
  
love you" when Gary pulled her in his arms and kissed her once more. And so they spent the   
  
night together.  
  
Gary woke up on his own. Looking outside the window it was already morning but he haven't heard  
  
the cat nor the paper. He thought it was because they were on the second floor of the house.   
  
Shizuka was laying on his shoulder. He managed to grab his clothes. Shizuka opened her eyes as  
  
she heard Gary struggling to put on his pants.   
  
"Good Morning, Gary" she said, rubbing her eyes "Did you sleep well last night?"  
  
Smiling, he replied "Good Morning. I slept quite well."   
  
Gary looked on a clock on her desk, it was 7:15 AM. Wondering where the world the paper would  
  
be, he rushed downstairs to find the paper on a table near the stairs. He grabbed it to only   
  
then noticing Miyuki and a couple in the living room were staring at him. Embarrassed Gary   
  
wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"Good Morning, Miyuki. Mr and Ms. Tanemura, I presume. it's nice to finally meet you both."   
  
Gary noticed the worried look on Miyuki's face.   
  
Ms. Tanemura then said "Miyuki-san, ano kata wa dare deshou ka?" (Who's this person?)  
  
Miyuki stood up. "Otosan, okasan chotto omachi kudasai." (Dad, mom please wait a minute) she   
  
walked to Gary "What are we going to do now?"   
  
"Didn't you know they were coming?!" Gary looked at the parents but they just ignored him and   
  
kept talking to each other.   
  
When things apparently couldn't get any worse, Shizuka was coming downstairs and saw Miyuki  
  
next to Gary. "You're already back, Miyuki, I wasn't--" she turned to see her parents there.   
  
Still shocked but trying to hide "Ohayou gozaimasu. Otosan, okasan ogenki desu ka?" (Good   
  
Morning. How are you two doing?)  
  
Mr. Tanemura finally said something "Kareshi wa nihongo no hanasu koto ga dekimasen ne?" (Your   
  
boyfriend doesn't speak japanese, does he?)  
  
"Moriron desu anata." (Of course not, dear.) Ms. Tanemura added before Shizuka could say   
  
anything.   
  
Shizuka got really upset about the comment so she looked at both of them "Koko wa watashi  
  
no ie desu kara kimitachi wa kangei sarete inai!" (Because it's my house you both aren't  
  
welcome here!)   
  
An awkward silence filled the room.N obody said anything else. Gary was able to go to the   
  
second floor just in time to hear Shizuka's speech. Even though he didn't understand, it didn't  
  
sound good. In the paper the headline said "Woman dies on car explosion - 38 years old Ming   
  
Fey died yesterday shortly after 10 AM when her car exploded. Police affirms the bomb was made  
  
exactly like the one found at O'Hare airport" folding the paper, Gary placed it in the pocket   
  
of his jeans.   
  
Upset, Shizuka went upstairs and entered her bedroom. Gary knew she needed support in a moment  
  
like that, so he walked to her bedroom. He stopped at the door, seeing her standing next to   
  
the desk. Gary entered the room and just held her. "It's gonna be alright, Shizuka. I'm going   
  
to stay with you forever." Gary held her tighter.  
  
"I'm sorry they ruined our first morning together, Gary." Shizuka then said "I want to be with  
  
you forever!"   
  
Leaving the house together, each one took a different way. Shizuka went to work on the EL while  
  
Gary got a cab in order to avoid the car explosion. Arriving at the place, Gary didn't have   
  
problems finding the avocado green Nissan. He couldn't see anything wrong with the car so he  
  
stayed around until the woman came. A Korean woman was going to place the key in the key hole   
  
as Gary took the key off her hand.  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't let you do that! And you have to get out of here!" Gary said as   
  
he held the keys.   
  
Then the woman started to say something to him in Korean and at the same time she struggled   
  
to get the key off his hand. She was half his size so not much of a problem to Gary. Only that   
  
she kept screaming and apparently didn't understand a word of what he said.  
  
"Wait! Hey, I'm the good guy in this situation. It's for your own sake!" Before Gary could do  
  
anything else, a man got near them and started arguing with the woman. Distracted for a moment   
  
from the fight, Gary was going to get the paper when the man got a knife out of his jacket   
  
"What do you think your are doing, pal?"   
  
Gary recognized that accent "Aren't ya the freak who have been threatening me thru the phone?!"  
  
"Every time I was about to kill this bitch you somehow always appear to save her!" Then again   
  
he started arguing with the woman.   
  
"Come on, you don't want to kill her. It's not going to help you!" Gary was trying even though  
  
it would be hard to change the guy's mind.   
  
Laughing, the man said to Gary "See you in hell, pal! I promise I'll kill you fast but for her   
  
I have some ideas--"   
  
Gary was cursing the fact there was no one around to help "So why do you want to kill her?"  
  
"As we are having this little conversation, I know about your secret!" The man placed the knife on  
  
Gary's neck "So why don't you tell me more about it?"  
  
Scared to death Gary whispered "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
A police car arrived at the place. As the cops pulled their guns out the guy dropped the knife.   
  
Still a bit dizzy from the unusual situation, Gary looked in the paper and said "Everybody   
  
down!" as most people ducked and Gary too, about 10 seconds later the Nissan exploded.   
  
One of the cops asked Gary a few questions. Meanwhile the other cop was having a hard time  
  
with the man, he was saying "Lock that freak up! He gets tomorrow's paper today, you know?"  
  
So the cop took his eyes off his notepad and said to Gary "Tomorrow's paper eh? I see you   
  
brought it with you" he pointed at the paper in Gary's hand.  
  
Believing his secret was finally out, Gary finally said "Yeah. Uh... you're not going to put it   
  
in your report, are ya?"   
  
The cop started to write something down "Absolutely. My boss will love to hear what we found   
  
out today." looking to Gary's worried face he said "I knew I should be an actor!"   
  
Gary laughed "I'd give ya an award for that one!"   
  
Shizuka was staring at the sunset sitting on a park bench. It was a pretty sight, the sky was   
  
crystal clear as the night was starting. She was relaxing after work and she didn't exactly   
  
want to go home that day. She closed her eyes and started to sing, not too loud. She sang for   
  
a while, then opened her eyes to see Gary on her side.   
  
"How long have you been there, Gary?" She wiped some tears off her eyes.   
  
He placed his arms around her "Long enough to hear your song. What's wrong?"   
  
Shizuka said "It's nothing. Uh..."   
  
Gary then got a serious tone in his voice "I need to tell you something, Shizuka. You see..."  
  
he took the paper out of his jacket. "I get tomorrow's newspaper today. And I try to help   
  
peopleout there. Here, take a look yourself" he handed the paper to her.  
  
She looked at the date in the paper and the front page. She folded it and gave it back to Gary  
  
"So that's why you knew about the bomb at the airport... oh, I see. You read about Tarou and   
  
me in it too?"  
  
Nodding he added "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before."   
  
"Do you know where the paper comes from, Gary?" Shizuka sighed, then continued "I knew you   
  
were special since the day I met you."   
  
Gary ran his hand thru his hair "I don't know yet where it comes from. All I know is every   
  
morning for the past 6 years that orange cat and the paper are on my doorstep."   
  
Shizuka's eyes got wide open "SIX YEARS?! Oh my god! Whom did you tell about it?"   
  
Looking up as he thought Gary said "Marissa... my parents and my best friend, Chuck."  
  
"Gary... there's something I wanted to say--"  
  
Gary held Shizuka's hand "Please let me finish. I told you about the paper because I wanted  
  
to kow" after a brief pause he asked "Will you marry me, Sizuka?"  
  
Shizuka kissed Gary on his lips "Yes! I'll marry you, Gary" she kissed him again.  
  
As Gary placed the ring on her finger she couldn't hold back her tears "I just hope it's not  
  
just a nice dream."  
  
Five days ater Gary and Shizuka were waiting for Hiroshi and Miyuki. Gary was sitting on a   
  
bench reading the paper while Shizuka was walking around. She was way too nervous to wait   
  
quietly. Gary folded the paper and went after her. Shizuka was staring at a crowd that had   
  
just arrived on a flight from Japan "I came thru that very same gate 4 years ago, Gary.  
  
And now Miyuki is leaving alone."   
  
Gary held her "Come on! Be strong for Miyuki, I'm sure it's hard for her too."   
  
Still in his arms, she said "Don't you know I just said that so you would hold me?" she smiled.  
  
So they waited a few minutes more, then they saw Hiroshi and Miyuki going towards the gate.   
  
Shizuka ran and hugged her sister. Hiroshi was carrying some luggage so he placed it near the   
  
bench were Gary was standing near.   
  
Hiroshi shook hands with Gary "Take good care of Shizuka, ok? And go visit us someday in   
  
Okinawa."   
  
Gary was looking to both sisters "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. Wait, their parents   
  
live in Hokkaido, don't they?!"   
  
"I was transferred to Okinawa, I'm editor of a japanese newspaper." Hiroshi then stared at the   
  
sisters.  
  
Surprised, Gary said "Newspaper editor? I didn't know that." Then he stared at the sisters "Do   
  
you think those two will survive separated from each other?"  
  
Miyuki held Shizuka's hands "I'm so happy for you about Gary. I'm sure you will be happy."   
  
"Shimatta... (damn it) I promised myself I wouldn't cry but--" Shizuka was chocking on her   
  
tears "I'm going to miss you!"  
  
"Now I'm going to cry!" Miyuki laughed as she wiped a tear off her eye "We will talk to each   
  
other. Besides, you can come visit us anytime!"   
  
Speaking about their future plans while waiting for the flight, finally Miyuki got a box out   
  
ofher luggage and handed it to Shizuka.  
  
"It's mom's wedding kimono. I want you to use it on yours so it will bring luck to you both."  
  
Gary did a bow saying "Domo arigatou. (thank you) Kore kara mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu."   
  
(Literally something around "I humbly ask you to be kind to me from now on")  
  
"Wow! Your pronunciation is wonderful, Gary!" Miyuki couldn't resist to take the opportunity   
  
to make her sister jealous.  
  
Shizuka held Gary's arm "Ogenki de ne! (Take care) Ganbare! (Good luck)"   
  
As both entered the gate, Shizuka turned to Gary and said "Hold me."   
  
Trying to cheer her up a bit, Gary said "I know it's hard to say goodbye, Shizuka."  
  
"Why does it hurt so much to miss other people?" Shizuka was still in his arms. "Promise me   
  
you'll never let go of me."   
  
"I promise you, Shizuka."  
  
*The End* 


End file.
